The role of Women

The role of women in the Orthodox Church

The role of women in the Orthodox Church

by Vasie-Leigh ChamesMetropolis of Pittsburgh

Objective

To impart to the participants the role of women (and men) in the Orthodox
Church. To teach them that their participation in the "royal priesthood”
is not based on gender as each of us are called to a life of service for
Christ.

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, our help and refuge, the fountain of wisdom and tower
of strength, You who know that I can do nothing without Your guidance and
help, assist me, I pray; and direct me to divine wisdom and power, that
I may accomplish this task, and whatever I may undertake to do, faithfully
and diligently, according to Your will, so that it may be profitable to
me and to others, and to the glory of Your Holy Name. For Yours is the
kingdom, the power, and the glory of the Father and the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

Preparing for this Session

Review the bible verses that will be used during this session. Make sure
you have a good understanding of them so that you can guide the discussions.
Don’t forget to make enough copies of the quiz for each person in your
group.

We are the body of Christ, the Church. Each one of us is a part of the
body, dependent on another part of the body. Therefore everyone has a
role to play and every role is important, whether you be the skin, the
brain, or just one microscopic cell. In our American Society, we often
place value on different roles. What we have to remember is that we are
not a deck of cards with point values of worth. Today we are going to discuss
the role of women in the church, as well as men who are not ordained to
the Priesthood. We will start out with a questionnaire to see what you
think.

Activity

Have participants fill out the following true or false quiz. Depending
on the number of participants you have, they may work independently or
in groups of two’s or three’s. For this activity, it would be best if
males and females worked separately. When you are finished, discuss the
answers with the participants.

State (do not read but paraphrase
in your own words)

As you can see from our quiz, some of us may have misconceived notions
about the role of women and men in the church. In the eyes of the Church,
men and women are equal, yet sometimes have different roles. We function
differently, that is why there are two genders that help and care for one
another. Can you think of examples of how men and women are equal yet different?
(accept all answers and reflect back) Use examples from Ephesians 5:22-33
to wrap up this question

Read: Galatians 3:26-29(NKJ)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as
many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then
you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

State (do not read but paraphrase
in your own words)

Females and males are offered the same opportunities for salvation through
our baptism. Our gender and our roles in the church do not determine if
we get to heaven.

The Theotokos is an example of a great woman in history of the church.
She was chosen for a different role than that of the Apostles. (Matthew
28:1-10) She was not ordained, yet she holds the highest esteem in our
church as the "bride of God, the God bearer and the apse of the heavens."
(Notice where her icon is placed in our Church) She is an example of purity,
parenthood, and apostleship that we should all strive to achieve. The
Orthodox church has a great tradition of female saints in the church, some
of which are considered equal to the apostles (St. Thekla) and deaconesses
(Sts. Tabitha and Priscilla in the early church). Can you think of some
other examples of important female saints in our church? (accept all
answers and reflect back)

Read: 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJ)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called
you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

State (do not read but paraphrase
in your own words)

The “royal priesthood” is the priesthood of the laity (non-clergy).
Every baptized Orthodox Christian is a member of the “royal priesthood.”
The ordained priesthood and the royal priesthood come together to make
the body of the church.

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 (NKJ)

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether
slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in
fact the body is not one member but many. If the food should say, “Because
I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it there fore not of the body?
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,”
is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would
be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as
He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But
now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

Discussion(accept all answers
and reflect back)

Describe some of the roles and responsibilities of the priest in your
parish? (write these down on one side of a large board and label it
Clergy)

For Example:

Administering the Sacraments

Celebrating the Divine Services

Ministering to those in need…the sick, poor, needy

Preaching and Teaching the Word of God

Administration in the parish

Contribute to the growth of the church

To uphold the teachings of the church

As members of the “royal priesthood” we also have specific responsibilities
and roles as members of the body of Christ, the Church. What are our “priestly”
responsibilities to Christ and His Church? (Now, on the other side of
the board, label it Laity. Brainstorm some ideas.)

For Example:

Sponsorship (become a godparent)

To spread the Gospel of Christ in words and deeds (do a service project,
visit a shut-in)

To contribute our material means for the growth of the church (donate
some of your allowance or salary as stewardship)

To participate in the administration of the work of the church (parish
council, youth advisor, sing in choir)

To contribute in worship with our presence and our faith (serve as
chanters, readers, acolytes, participants in the sacraments and to make
offerings [bread, wine, oil etc.] for the sacraments.)

Let’s compare the roles of the ordained priesthood and the royal priesthood.
How are they similar and yet different?

Serving the church is not limited to the adults who are clergy, on the
parish council and in Philopotchos. Each one of us is called to serve
the church in different ways and at different times. Can you think of
things that you have already done as part of your “priestly” ministry?

For Example:

Serve as an acolyte

Read the epistle

Teach Sunday school

Help with vacation church school

Visit the elderly

Make prosforon, artos, koliva

Assist the HOPE and JOY Advisors

Conclusion

The role of a woman in the church is the same as the role of a man in
the church. It is to be a member of the body of Christ. As part of this
body, the Church, we are all called to listen to God. Being part of the
“royal priesthood” means being a servant, making a sacrifice of ourselves
for Christ, just as Christ did for us. Christ, the Archpriest, gave us
this example. We have many male and female saints who have given us great
examples of “priestly” ministry as well as people in our own lives. Your
challenge as a young woman or man is to look beyond some of the misconceptions
that exist in the church and cultivate the gifts that God has given you.
When you use them to serve humanity in his name, then you will have found
your special role in the church.

Closing Prayer

Christ our God, the True LightWho enlightens and sanctifies every person who comes into the world:Seal us with the Light of Your Countenance that we may perceive
Thy Unapproachable Radiance.Direct the foot steps of our life in the way of You commandments.Through the prayers of You all-pure Mother and of all Your saints.
Amen.

References

Kokkinakis, Athenegoras, Parents and Priests as Servants of Redemption-An
Interpretatoin of the Doctrines of the Eastern Orthodox Church on the Sacraments
of Matrimony and Priesthood, Morehouse-Gorham Co., New York, 1958,
Pages 93-125.

Mitchel, Patrick, The Scandal of Gender – Early Teaching On the Man
and the Woman, Regina Orthodox Press, Salisbury, MA, 1998

Limouris, Gennadios Ed., The Place of the Woman in the Orthodox Church
and the Question of the Ordination of Women – Interorthodox Symposium Rhodos,
Greece 30 October-7 November 1988, Tertios Publications, Ecumenical
Patriarchate, 1992.

What is the role of women in the church?
True or False Quiz

Directions: Read each question and circle true or false. When the
whole group is done you will share your answers.

1) All men/boys can go in the Sanctuary.
(True or False)

2) The only type of priesthood is the ordained
priesthood. (True or False)

3) A woman’s role in the church is for
baking and teaching. (True or False)

4) If a man is not a priest, his role is
to count money in the narthex, cook souvlaki, and to go to church only
on occasional Sundays. (True or False)

5) Every man who goes to Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox School of Theology will be a priest and every woman will be a
presvytera. (True or False)

6) Philoptochos is 2nd largest
woman’s philanthropic organization in America. (True or False)

7) Women can never go into the Holy Altar.
(True or False)

8) Women should receive a blessing to be
a reader in the church. (True or False)

9) Only women can bake prosforon, and artos
and make koliva to be offered at Divine Services. (True or False)

What is the role of women in the church?Facilitators Key

1) All men/boys can go in the Sanctuary.
(False) Only people who have a purpose and have received a blessing
to enter the Sanctuary can enter. In female monasteries, it is only the
Sisters who have the blessing to go into the sanctuary and vise versa for
male monasteries.

2) The only type of priesthood is the
ordained priesthood. (False) There are two types of priesthood,
the ordained priesthood and the royal priesthood. (These will be explained
more later).

3) A woman’s role in the church is only
for baking and teaching. (False) Both men and women in the church
can use their talents for the glory of God.

4) If a man is not a priest, a mans
role is to count money in the narthex, cook souvlaki at the festival, and
to go to church only on occasional Sundays. (False). Yes, men
are often seen in the Narthex counting money, and cooking souvlaki. Men
and women should both make an offering of their time and talents every
Sunday on the Lord’s Day.

5) Every man who goes to Holy Cross
will be a priest and every woman will be a presvytera. (False)
Men and women who go to Holy Cross School have a calling to learn about
their Orthodox Faith. Not all men who attend Holy Cross are called to
the Holy Priesthood. Some men have other callings to serve the church.
Women who go to Holy Cross also have a calling to serve God. They serve
the Church in various ways (youth directors, lay assistants, missionaries,
etc).

6) Philoptochos is Second largest woman’s
philanthropic organization in America. (True) The members of
Philoptochos make a great contribution to our American society as well
as our church.

7) Women can never go into the Sanctuary.
(False) They must receive a blessing from their priest or bishop.

8) Women should receive a blessing to
be a reader in the church. (True) In fact, all people should
receive a blessing to be chanters, readers, and acolytes.

9) Only women can bake prosforon, and
artos and make koliva to be offered at Divine Services. (False).
All people should practice the tradition of making an offering at our Divine
Services. Christ offered His own life for the Church. We offer, for example,
bread and wine at the Divine Liturgy as a sacrifice of our own time and
treasures to God.